Pediatric Dentist (Pedodontist) Salary Guide

The average pediatric dentist salary also referred to as pedodontist salary, is around $346,070 per year. This implies that the professionals get around $66.33 every hour. The pediatric dentists who are employed by the Community Dental Service earn a gross of around $260,000 per year while the ones who work for dental care clinics take home between $200,000 – $250,000 annually. The lowest paid pediatric dentist earns a mean salary of around $46,600 and an hourly average of $22.40. On the other hand, the highest paid pediatric dentists get an hourly wage of around $80 that translates to a yearly salary of around $167,000.

Just like many other professionals, the pediatric dentist salary also depends on various factors such as education, experience, institution where the professional works, number of hours a person works and the geographical location. This means that there are some professionals who might end up getting paid more or less than others when these things are factored in. For instance, there are reports that show that Maryland pays the most attractive salaries of about $300,000 with an hourly median range of between $66 – $80. Most employers also give the professionals benefits such as social security, pension, healthcare, paid time off and other bonuses to boost their salary allowing them to take home a better package.

Job description of a pediatric dentist

A pediatric dentist is a professional who deals with child dental care and specializes in preventing and treating various tooth/teeth problems that affect the young ones. The professionals normally focus on the normal development of jaw bones and teeth, maintaining milk teeth (primary set of teeth), preventing dental diseases like dentin & enamel deformities, tooth decay, tooth discoloration, fluorosis and many more. It is also the job of the pedodontist to excavate any dental caries, place sealant fluoride gel application or a tooth medicament as well as perform any milk teeth extraction when necessary. They are also supposed to advise all their children patients to maintain good oral hygiene by teaching them how to brush properly and to take care of the teeth at home. These are people who are supposed to have a great personality while working with the kids to make sure that the patients are comfortable around them.

Programs:

To become a pediatric dentist, students have to complete high school education where they are advised to take courses that deal with math, anatomy, biology, physics and chemistry. From here you need to undertake an undergraduate degree in areas like biology before proceeding to dental school. This takes about 4 years and it’s important to note that there are no restrictions on what to study although it is best to opt for science courses as this increase your chances of getting into dental school. Just like all the other dentists, students must earn one of the 2 degrees: Doctor of Dental Medicine or Doctor of Dental Surgery that takes about 4 – 5 years. When you are done, you will be required to join a residency program where students specialize in pediatric dentistry. This normally takes 2 years which are very valuable as you get to learn specialized skills and gain clinical experience to deal with your patients. At this point, you can also gain knowledge of child related pharmacology, child psychology, child development and other areas that are relevant to the field. The final step in this career is to get a license that allows you to practice. This requires you take a special exam before you are given a go ahead. It is vital to check out the state requirements where you want to work to make sure that you comply with all the rules and regulations that are put in place to have an easy time transitioning from training to the work place.

Pediatric dentist salary in other countries (UK Australia and Canada)

In Canada, the average pediatric dentist salary ranges between 120, 000 CAD to 280,000 CAD per year. In the UK the pediatric dentists earn about £150, 000 – £300, 000. In Australia, the professionals take around $137, 000 every year.

Verdict on pediatric dentist salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there is going to be a 21% growth in the dentist positions. With a great emphasis on oral health because of its link to overall health the dentist’s salary may increase so that it can meet the public demand.